Viking
The Viking is a terran unit with the ability to transform between a ground unit ("Assault mode") and an air unit ("Fighter mode").Unit Information, in Korean. Media.Daum.net Accessed 2007-07-20.Viking. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-08-10. Overview The Brood War revealed weaknesses in terran anti-air capability. Wraith combat fighters and Valkyrie missile frigates proved to be an unwieldy combination against agile zerg airborne organisms. In addition, ground-based anti-air support from goliath assault walkers was too limited in its mobility: all too often airborne attackers would simply move out of the goliath's range. In the aftermath of the war, terran weapon technicians proposed a radical new concept to resolve both of these problems; an armored vehicle with the ability to change its combat role from an assault walker to an air-superiority fighter, enabling it to switch smoothly to fulfill tactical needs in a developing battle. One such vehicle was the Wyrm. However, it was followed by the more successful Viking design, a craft with more armor, more options and a faster response time.Furman, Simon (w), Jesse Elliott (p, i). "Heavy Armor, part 2." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 2 (paperback binding), pp. 5-25. Tokyopop, January 1, 2009. ISBN 1427-80831-7. As such, the Viking was showcased at the colony of Ursa, where one single-handedly destroyed a military base.Furman, Simon and Jesse Elliott. "Heavy Armor, part 1." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 1, pp. 140–163. Tokyopop, August 1, 2008. ISBN 1427-80721-3. Based heavily on the transformation design of the siege tank, the Viking was designed to be the ultimate anti-air and ground-support weapon system, armed with MT50 Lanzer Torpedoes and twin Gatling guns for both respective tasks. A targeting system exists for both, along with displaying height and location. The ability to self-destruct is also present. However, while the Viking's versatility is its greatest asset, it is also one of its drawbacks. Few pilots are able to handle both combat modes and the majority of Viking pilots are killed in their first battle. Those who survive however, become amongst the most skilled pilots. Game Unit The Viking is produced from the starport (a change from previous builds).Karune. 2008-03-26. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 33: ScreenCraft. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-03-26. It can take advantage of the reactor. The Viking is upgraded as an air vehicle. Ground Mode In the walker mode the Viking has low armor, leaving it vulnerable to powerful ground units such as siege tanks. The walker mode is armed with twin gatling cannons. It can only attack ground units (a change from some previous builds). Air Mode When in this mode the Viking has an extremely powerful anti-air attack (MT50 Lanzer Torpedoes) designed to destroy capital ships.2007-08-03. StarCraft II Terran Faction BlizzCon Preview. Gamespot. Accessed 2007-08-07. Attacks against heavily armored targets give it a damage bonus, but it is less well suited to deal with lightly armored air units.2007-17-11, StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 46. Karune. Accessed on 2008-18-11 In addition, it does not have the ability to attack ground units.Mielke, James. 2007-07-27. Protoss for a Day. 1up.com Accessed 2007-07-28. In this mode, it has superior mobility and base-raiding capabilities.Karune. 2008-02-08. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 29. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-02-08. Development Karune stated that its ground mode could attack both ground and air units in February 2008Karune. 2008-02-08. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 29. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-02-08. but that ability underwent balance testing and has since been removed.Karune. 2008-02-20. A Question for Karune about the Viking. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-02-20. At earlier builds the Viking was built on the factory at ground mode, but needed a Fighter Tech upgrade to enable transforming to air mode.http://www.shacknews.com/screenshots.x?gallery=8051&game_id=4110#img103202 Quotes :Main article: StarCraft II Quotations Known Vikings Viking 02 Known Viking pilots *Captain Jon Dyre Trivia The Lost Vikings is a 1992 Blizzard Entertainment game featuring the adventures of three Vikings. One of the pictures on the official Viking page is labeled "the Lost Vikings".Viking. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-08-10. Vehicles with walker and fighter modes feature prominently in Macross, and may serve as the inspiration for both the StarCraft and Command & Conquer units. Images Image:Vikingfightermode.jpg|Early render of the Viking (fighter mode) Image:VikingWalkermode.jpg|Early render of the Viking (walker mode) References Category: Terran Vehicle Classes Category:StarCraft II Terran units Category: Terran starship classes